As Shuttle Launch Looms, NASA Workers in ‘Shock’ Over Future
February 9th, 2010 by adminCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With the launch of space shuttle Endeavour just two days away, NASA workers are staying focused despite being in shock from the cancellation of the agencys moon program earlier this week.
“Therere a few folks that are kind of reeling from the shock,” said Mike Moses, NASAs shuttle integration manager, in a Friday briefing.
Endeavour is set to blast off early Sunday morning from a seaside pad here at NASAs Kennedy Space Center at 4:39 a.m. EST (0939 GMT). It is the first of NASAs five final shuttle missions and comes less than a week after Mondays announcement that the space agency is canceling the program responsible for replacing the aging orbiter fleet.
NASA has spent five years and $9 billion working on the Constellation program, so the moon programs elimination came as a surprise for many within the space agency.
On Monday, President Barack Obama rolled out the 2011 budget request for NASA as part of the nations larger budget. The request would scrap NASAs current Constellation program, which has been building the Orion spacecraft and Ares rockets slated to replace the shuttle fleet, and set aside $6 billion to support the development of commercial spaceships capable of launching astronauts into space.
“I dont speed a lot of time thinking about the future because if we cant do what were doing today, or on Sunday, right, then there really is no future for any of the spaceflight programs or the ISS,” Moses said. “So weve got to get this flight done.”
But, Moses stressed, the team is working hard to focus today on launching Endeavour and its crew of six astronauts safely to the International Space Station . The shuttle is flying a 13-day mission to deliver a new room and observation portal to the space station.
“Distractions are there. Shock is there, uncertainty,” Leinbach said of his personal feelings.
NASA launch director Mike Leinbach described the feeling of some shuttle workers as one of “angst” over the coming retirement of the agencys three orbiters; Endeavour, Discovery and Atlantis. They have known for years that the space shuttles will be retired at the end of 2010 to make way for their replacements, but now there is new uncertainty.
“I asked everybody to treat these last five missions like a professional team, we can be down in the fourth quarter,” Leinbach said. “We can be many, many points behind, but were going to play every down and were going until the final whistle blows.”
But when it comes time to launch astronauts and shuttles, Leinbach said the focus is sharp and unwavering.
“Its a case where were going to play this game to the very end,” Leinbach said. “Its the only way we can play it.” NASAs Final Night Shuttle Launch Visible From Eastern U.S. Video — Behind the Scenes of Endeavours STS-130 Mission Images - Space Shuttles Midnight Launch
The sports metaphor is especially appropriate for Endeavours upcoming launch. After all, the shuttle is launching on Super Bowl Sunday.
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SPACE.com is providing complete coverage of Endeavours STS-130 mission to the International Space Station with Managing Editor Tariq Malik in Cape Canaveral and Staff Writer Clara Moskowitz in New York. Click here for shuttle mission updates and a link to NASA TV.
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